Happy 20th birthday to one of my best Dark Throne buddies, Zach. :)
His various DT Beta achievements include Overlord of High Offense Clan, Co-Leader of Invictus Decretum, and a member of Wolf Pack. All posts, funnily enough, I held at the same time as him. In DT Gold (final version, which we are both still playing), he is in the leadership in the n00bish alliance The Black Rose (LOL, and I'm Council; Matty, you hear me?) and Level 5. One of the best and smartest players in my books. :)
Thanks for the friendship that spanned continents, timezones, and account levels (LOL), and it was an honor being one of the co-leaders with you in two of the most unbeatable and elite alliances in the game, and being a fellow WP brother. Here's to almost three years of friendship. :)
This photo will make you famous bro. ROFL. Have a good one, and one day, we'll camp at the same level range and rape any account that gets in our way. Just like old times. :)
One of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen.
Band Major John Coleman was suspended from his marching band after he returned President Obama's wave with a wink and a small wave of his own. He was accused of breaching 'military protocol' for returning the President's gesture.
I say, screw protocol. What John Coleman did was to give the President an approving wink and a wave that acknowledged he saw Obama's gesture. John Coleman was so hurt at his suspension that he quit the band after the incident. Poor guy. Mr. Coleman, if it's any consolation, I would have done exactly the same thing were I in your shoes, protocol be damned. The man you winked at is the President of the United States of America.
You smug Mac users, here's something for you people to worry about: a virus has infiltrated the considerable anti-virus defense systems of Macintosh computers.
Originally by Christopher Null, Yahoo Tech The iServices.A Trojan horse is an attack being distributed via BitTorrent, where it's disguised as a bootleg copy of the new iWork 09. Once installed, the malware takes administrator access and connects to remote servers over the Internet, where it can be given additional instructions as the author commands, from installing additional malware to stealing information off the Mac in question. The malware creator can also take complete remote control of any compromised machine.
Not so smug now, are you? LOL. Just - as always - be safe when downloading from BitTorrent.
My reaction and commentary is based on this article by Associated Press writer Matti Friedman.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) accused Palestinians of planting and detonating a bomb targeting an IDF patrol near the borders. Before that, an IDF ship has apparently shelled Palestine along the borders, killing a few farmers. Opening fires on this latest ceasefire, proving that these two forces are somewhat the hardest headed states in the world now (rivaling perhaps India and Pakistan).
Reading this article, I see the futility of peace in the Middle Eastern region. Peace cannot exist, simply because (depending on one's point of view) Israel or Palestine exists, and both have legitimate - to an extent - claim through ancestral lands and culture. The latest ceasefire was heavily in favor of Israel; the military blockade of their troops of the Palestinian borders have not been lifted yet. This lop-sided policy was probably a smart move on their part, almost guaranteeing the retaliation of Palestinian freedom fighters. The ceasefire has lasted a grand total of nine days (sooner, if one would consider the almost immediate small-arms conflict between IDF troops and pockets of resistance of Hamas).
Formally, there is a ceasefire, but that term has been rendered a joke by the actions of both Hamas and the IDF. In my opinion, the 'lasting peace' so craved by the world for this tumultuous region will only happen once one or the other completely leaves the area, and I am betting it will not be the Palestinians, should push come to shove.
Conclusion: Ceasefires are just words to these two parties.
Watch the La Salle Dance Company - Street as they celebrate a year of blessings in their exciting major concert! With passion as this year's theme, see them perform different dance styles touching issues on mistaken passion, passion for life, and more! IT IS ONE SHOW YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!
Special Guests: Skittlez Crew, LSGH Airforce, Miriam Sayawatha, Claret Hataw, and more! Tickets: P180 each
Show Dates: FEBRUARY 5, 2009 FEBRUARY 6, 2009*
*Skittlez' performance
7pm sharp (gates open at 6:30pm), Teresa Yuchengco Theater, DLSU-Manila, Taft Avenue
Visit our booth at the Central Plaza from 9:00am-5:00pm from Jan.26 to Feb.6 to see our special exhibit and to buy tickets!
Here's a lesson we all know: Do unto others what you would others do unto you. Otherwise, be prepared for the karma delivery truck, which runs on its own schedule.
This is a game between Houston and Arizona, in the Pac-10 league. Houston was leading 63-51, when Chase Budinger of Arizona fell on his back. Aubrey Coleman of Houston sees him on his back and unceremoniously steps on Chase's face. No excuse me, no apology; it looked intentional to me. Also, his high-fives from teammates lead me to believe they thought it was something funny.
I was thinking of what I was talking about with two friends and classmates of mine in class, Katrina and Bea, a little while ago, and I thought, heck why not.
We agreed that I will share "one useless fact" everyday (no set limit on how long this can go on, but probably until we all stop being classmates, LOL) so I might as well share it in my blog. :) This series will be labeled as "Almost Useless". Why 'almost'? Well, if it was entirely useless, you won't be able to enlighten another human being with it now, will you? :)
Here is a taste of the things to come. :)
Perfect 10 for 22 In the 1924 Olympic Games, 22 athletes received the much-coveted 'Perfect 10' in gymnastics, all at the same event! It will probably never happen again; the event was rope climbing.
Carnegie Mellon Scholarship I was browsing around the Internet for scholarship offers (like FastWeb) when I came across the Carnegie Mellon University's Bagpipe Scholarship. I kid you not; they offer $7000 a year to a student who will major in bagpipes. ROFL. Andrew Carnegie was apparently a bagpipe enthusiast (he was Scottish).
Roman Mouthwash Thank God for Listerine. Ancient Romans used urine to clean their mouths and maintain oral hygiene. Yeah. "Hygiene".
Will post more when I think of more stuff (or dig up more almost-useless facts).
I have been joining Gayle's old crew, Sirens (which used to be an all-female group), in their dance practices for over a year now, and it's peculiar that I have not danced in any of their gigs yet. LOL. Since they had a Chinese New Year party gig at Dynasty Tower (where one of their members, Michelle, lives), I decided to be a busy-body and tag along.
Unfortunately for me, I sort of had to learn two dances in about four hours. =/ Haha.. I bit a little more than I could chew, but it turned out alright (though not one of my best performances).
For this performance, we were (for better or worse, you be the judge) named Firefox. ROFLMAO. Will embed a video once someone uploads it on YouTube. :)
Until further notice, please do not text or call me. My phone refused to switch on last night, and this morning, the phone repair shops at Taft cannot find a way to fix it. I don't think I will be able to get a replacement soon. :(
It's very frustrating when one waits eight hours to load a movie, is moving a lot of pictures from memory card to hard drive, and typing a paper when the once-reliable laptop sputters and dies. Unceremoniously sputters and dies.
Israel has declared a unilateral ceasefire. The terms are that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will halt offensives against Hamas, but its troops will still remain in Gaza. If Hamas breaks the ceasefire, then Israel will "continue to defend itself" and relaunch its stinging offensive against Hamas.
I think that this is a very smart move on Israel. They have been condemned (myself included) for reacting unfairly to Hamas' rocket attacks. They have struck any and all targets suspected of harboring Hamas militants, even if the targets were UN-controlled facilities. I have a feeling that Hamas (for some reason unfathomable to a reasonable man) will continue to launch its rockets against Israel. None of Hamas' terms were met, which are that Israel halts all attacks and leaves Gaza immediately, and to lift the blockade on Gaza's borders. Israel will only pull out if all tunnels to and from Egypt (where Hamas gets their military hardware) are closed and closely monitored.
The ceasefire required the help of Egypt, because it is through Egypt's porous borders that Hamas gets their equipment. The United States have agreed to provide surveillance and detection equipment for the monitoring of the borders. A snag in the ceasefire is that Egypt has refused to be bound by the USA-Israeli agreement on the ceasefire. Egypt's agreement is vital.
The next few days will be interesting. For the sake of the Palestinian civilians (and for the Middle East), I sincerely hope Hamas will respect this ceasefire, and use the lull to collect and pay proper respects to the Palestinian dead.
